84
84
Jan 31, 2013
01/13
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 84
favorite 0
quote 0
when are we going to have any new spending cuts? this would at least start in a modest way reasonable spending cuts. thank you, madam president. the presiding officer: would the senator call up his motion. mr. vitter: yes, madam president. i call up the motion to commit. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from louisiana, mr. vitter, moves to commit the bill, h.r. 325, to the -- mr. vitter: madam president, i ask to waive reading of the whole. the presiding officer: without objection. mr. baucus: madam president? the presiding officer: the senator from montana. mr. baucus: madam president, we've -- we've essentially already voted on this. this is very similar to the portman amendment which lost by a vote of 54-44. this approach was rejected by the house of representatives when the speaker sent over his debt increase to us which gives us breathing room. we tried this approach suggested by the senator in august of 2011. it didn't work. this moves us backward, not forward. and i think we should give pra
when are we going to have any new spending cuts? this would at least start in a modest way reasonable spending cuts. thank you, madam president. the presiding officer: would the senator call up his motion. mr. vitter: yes, madam president. i call up the motion to commit. the presiding officer: the clerk will report. the clerk: the senator from louisiana, mr. vitter, moves to commit the bill, h.r. 325, to the -- mr. vitter: madam president, i ask to waive reading of the whole. the presiding...
72
72
Jan 31, 2013
01/13
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 72
favorite 0
quote 0
they tried in 2011 to use the debt limit as a leverage point of force obama to swallow big spending cuts. it worked, but it was terribly damaging, but the the nation's economy and to their political capital. congressional plummeted to something like 9 percent. and they recognize that this was a bad idea. gambling with the faith and credit of the united states it turns out as a pretty bad idea. we were downgraded for the first time in the nation's history. they did not want to do that again. like us said, they did not want to vote for a bigger national debt either. that does not fit with their philosophy, so they came up with this strategy of saying, okay, we will suspend it. in the meantime, we really want the senate to pass a budget for 2014, and the law also says that if either chamber fails to adopt the budget by april 15th, their paychecks will be docked. so the whole idea of this thing is to a postpone this sort of economy prattling default situation until they can prosecute this continuing fight over taxes to a point where the budget is satisfied in the debt limit can be raised aga
they tried in 2011 to use the debt limit as a leverage point of force obama to swallow big spending cuts. it worked, but it was terribly damaging, but the the nation's economy and to their political capital. congressional plummeted to something like 9 percent. and they recognize that this was a bad idea. gambling with the faith and credit of the united states it turns out as a pretty bad idea. we were downgraded for the first time in the nation's history. they did not want to do that again....
125
125
Jan 28, 2013
01/13
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 125
favorite 0
quote 0
spending was the reason that congress and president obama raised the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion just a year and a half ago. now, in 2006, the junior senator from illinois, senator obama, came to the floor, made a very passionate and thoughtful statement here on the senate floor in opposition to raising the debt limit. many of the reasons that he gave then are relevant today. in fact, they are even more appropriate because the national debt is much, much higher. and we have a fiscal mess. it's instructive for my colleagues to hear the words straight from then-senator obama. he delivered these remarks on march 16, 2006. at that time the senate was debating raising the debt limit by $781 billion to a new limit then that seems very small today, about half what it is today, raising the limit of 2006 to $8.9 trillion. so i thought it would be worth for the president's benefit as well as our benefit to go over what then-senator, now-president obama had to say, and so i'm going to quote partially from his speech. and this is from 2006, dealing debate -- -- quote -- "the fact that we are here
spending was the reason that congress and president obama raised the debt ceiling by $2.1 trillion just a year and a half ago. now, in 2006, the junior senator from illinois, senator obama, came to the floor, made a very passionate and thoughtful statement here on the senate floor in opposition to raising the debt limit. many of the reasons that he gave then are relevant today. in fact, they are even more appropriate because the national debt is much, much higher. and we have a fiscal mess....
62
62
Feb 1, 2013
02/13
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 62
favorite 0
quote 0
we are looking at unprecedented cuts and spending on national security. we are looking at the prospects of drawing down from afghanistan one of the questions that i know that we have is whether we are ready for those changes. i suspect that most of us believe that we are not. tom, maybe you can talk about the sequestration of paul ryan told us is going to happen. >> there has been a near certainty so i will talk about the sequestration per se. i really regarded as a symptom and not the disease itself. the disease itself is the erosion to the point of vanishing, almost. the bipartisan political consensus for military strength, as people used to say. that is something that over the course of my career has been a touchstone. something that people could build upon. we can argue about what kind of strength we could have come of these for forces versus those forces. but there was a broad-based bipartisan condition of the american military power was necessary and necessary conditions in a dangerous world. that was a good thing. so i think that both of those unde
we are looking at unprecedented cuts and spending on national security. we are looking at the prospects of drawing down from afghanistan one of the questions that i know that we have is whether we are ready for those changes. i suspect that most of us believe that we are not. tom, maybe you can talk about the sequestration of paul ryan told us is going to happen. >> there has been a near certainty so i will talk about the sequestration per se. i really regarded as a symptom and not the...
75
75
Jan 30, 2013
01/13
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 75
favorite 0
quote 0
mcconnell: a few weeks ago president obama reported that -- a few weeks ago president obama reportedly said that america doesn't have a spending problem. this is completely at odds with what independent experts tell us and what is perfectly apparent to anybody who is alert. and last week i brought this chart behind me to the floor to illustrate the point. as everyone knows, we're running trillion-dollar annual deficits. what this chart shows is the gap between government spending and revenue just keeps getting wider and wider and wider. so let's take a look at it. the occupant of the chair is relatively new to the senate, but not new to the facts. the green area here represents both historic and projected tax revenue. the blue area here, the dark blue area, as you can see, really kind of flat line flatlit here to 2014, is the new revenue that the president got at the end of the new year as a result of the law. the tax rates sunsetted, expired at midnight on new year's eve. the congress then wisely continued the current tax rates for 99% of americans, made those rates permanent so you w
mcconnell: a few weeks ago president obama reported that -- a few weeks ago president obama reportedly said that america doesn't have a spending problem. this is completely at odds with what independent experts tell us and what is perfectly apparent to anybody who is alert. and last week i brought this chart behind me to the floor to illustrate the point. as everyone knows, we're running trillion-dollar annual deficits. what this chart shows is the gap between government spending and revenue...
123
123
Jan 29, 2013
01/13
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 123
favorite 0
quote 0
we are looking at unprecedented cuts in spending on national security. we are looking at the prospect of drawing down and, drawing down from afghanistan. we are looking at a lot of changes. not just here in the united states but in the world. one of the questions i know that we have is whether we are ready for those changes. i suspect that most of us believe we are not. tom, maybe you could start out and talk a bit about the sequestration that paul ryan told us this weekend is quote going to happen. i'll give you the mic. >> well, it's a prediction that at this point seems like a certainty, but i would argue it's near certainty. once the sequestration provision was written into the budget. sal talk a bit about sequestration per se, but i really regarded as a symptom and not the disease itself. the disease itself is the erosion of the point of vanishing almost of the bipartisan political consensus for military strength, for key strength, people used to see. and that's really something that over the course of my career has been a touchdown that people coul
we are looking at unprecedented cuts in spending on national security. we are looking at the prospect of drawing down and, drawing down from afghanistan. we are looking at a lot of changes. not just here in the united states but in the world. one of the questions i know that we have is whether we are ready for those changes. i suspect that most of us believe we are not. tom, maybe you could start out and talk a bit about the sequestration that paul ryan told us this weekend is quote going to...
181
181
Feb 1, 2013
02/13
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 181
favorite 0
quote 0
president obama just announced that he would spend an extra $165 million syria. this makes america the biggest donor at about a third of a billion dollars. that's $15. it's not enough. as we've heard the humanitarian situation needs a lot more money the syrian opposition has asked for $62 billion. i don't know where it will end up, but clearly the humanitarian issue needs a lot more money. the question here tonight is can america saved syria? only the syrians can save syria. america cannot nation-building the middle east and shouldn't get in the middle of a sectarian and ethnic war. we tried to do that twice and we have spent over $100 trillion in iraq and afghanistan. we've tried to pick winners. we haven't been happy with them. we don't know how to do it. we can't pick ethnic winners either. in iraq we try to cash in on the sunnis that have been willing iraq and they've been put there by the british and through than the bottom of the society and we have raised up to 60% in the name of democracy. today we have another tyrannical rule forming. the sunnis are the
president obama just announced that he would spend an extra $165 million syria. this makes america the biggest donor at about a third of a billion dollars. that's $15. it's not enough. as we've heard the humanitarian situation needs a lot more money the syrian opposition has asked for $62 billion. i don't know where it will end up, but clearly the humanitarian issue needs a lot more money. the question here tonight is can america saved syria? only the syrians can save syria. america cannot...
92
92
Jan 25, 2013
01/13
by
CSPAN2
tv
eye 92
favorite 0
quote 0
this role, if confirmed, is also deeply informed by the 28 plus years that i have been privileged to spend in the senate. that perspective will remain with me if confirmed to secretary, and i'm already excited by the many ways that we can work together and in which we must work together in order to advance america's security interest and a complicated and ever more dangerous world. i would add that i am particularly aware that in many ways the greatest challenge to america's foreign-policy will be in your hands, not mine. his was often said that we can be strong and no before not strong in the world, and these days of fiscal crisis and as a recovering member of the super committee, i am especially cognizant of the fact that we can't be strong in the world and thus were strong at home . the first priority of business which will affect my credibility as a diplomat and our credibility as a nation, as we work to help other countries create order the first per it will be that america at last put its own fiscal house in order. i really can't emphasize to you enough talent. this is. people all ov
this role, if confirmed, is also deeply informed by the 28 plus years that i have been privileged to spend in the senate. that perspective will remain with me if confirmed to secretary, and i'm already excited by the many ways that we can work together and in which we must work together in order to advance america's security interest and a complicated and ever more dangerous world. i would add that i am particularly aware that in many ways the greatest challenge to america's foreign-policy will...